The Snell Game

In order to race cars in the U.S., participants almost always must wear a helmet carrying a Snell certification sticker. Before that approval can be assigned, the helmet must first pass a battery of tests. The big question to be answered: Will the helmet protect as intended?

If a helmet has received a Snell approval, look for a sticker inside, usually beneath the lining. Most road racing groups require helmets carrying Snell SA approval, and Snell updates those specs every five years. Many groups require the latest Snell rating or at least the previous one.

What's a Snell?

Snell is also known as the Snell Memorial Foundation,
an independent nonprofit devoted to testing
helmets. That little sticker found inside your
RaceQuip PRO15? Snell assigned it.

Where’d It Come From?

The organization gets its name from William
“Pete” Snell, a popular racer in the 1950s. He
sustained a fatal head injury in 1956, when his
TR3 rolled at 80 mph. Snell was
wearing the common headgear
of the period: Think “leather cap
with goggles” and you’ve got the
right picture.

Donations in Snell’s name
from fellow racers were the
catalyst for building the Snell
Memorial Foundation as we
know it today.

Who Started It?

George Snively was a doctor
and racer, and by the time
Snell died, he’d been testing
helmets on his own for a
few years. Snell’s death convinced
Snively that the industry
needed some real oversight, so
he went to work.

He enlisted Clinton O. Chichester,
another racing doctor,
and the pair started testing
helmets in earnest. Their mission: “to establish
some standard for the performance of helmets
so that an individual can at least distinguish
which will offer a known level of protection
versus one that will offer practically none.”

What Made It Different?

The two doctors were the first to test helmets
on cadavers rather than head-shaped forms. The
results were surprising: Only one of the helmets in
their experiments provided an acceptable amount of impact protection.

These findings were published in the SCCA San
Francisco Region’s newsletter in 1957, and the
trustees of the Snell Memorial Foundation took
notice. They decided to devote the donations in
Snell’s name–all $713 worth–to the doctors’ work.

When Was the Standard Adopted?

This donation helped expand the testing, and the
press was invited to watch. The larger test found
only two acceptable helmets: the Bell 500 TX and
the Toptex Competition Model. These test results
were published in Sports Car Graphic, Sports
Car Journal and MotoRacing during the summer
of 1957, and they sparked quite the controversy
among racers and manufacturers.

That didn’t last for long, though: The SCCA
decreed that by August 30, racers had to wear one
of the two approved helmet models. In 1959, the
Snell foundation established its first set of standards,
and they’ve updated them roughly every
five years to this day.

How Does Certification Work?

For a helmet to be certified, the manufacturer
must send five helmets to the Snell Memorial Foundation
and pay a fee. Then, the foundation subjects
four helmets to different extreme environmental
conditions–think of all the hot, cold, damp or dry
places yours has been in the past five years. The
fifth helmet is archived, just in case.

Once each helmet has endured this abuse, it’s
put through Snell’s battery of tests. If every one
passes, then the manufacturer signs a contract to
buy a certain number of certification labels, and
Snell retains the right to randomly retest certified
models at any time. It’s worth noting that each
model–and each shell size of that model–must be
certified separately.

What Does a Racing Helmet Need to Pass?

The SA standards cover helmets intended for
competitive autosports. As such, SA helmets have
to endure two unique tortures: fire and impacts.

Every external component, and the helmet’s padding,
must be flame-resistant. And every helmet
must manage the energy of three consecutive
impacts against a roll bar-like structure.

Note that “M” helmets are certified for use with
motorcycles and aren’t fire-retardant. They’re
often less expensive, though, and many autocross
clubs allow competitors to wear them.

Notable Certification Changes for 2015?

Snell’s requirements for certification are constantly
evolving, with a new standard released
every five years. The SA2015 standard requires
mounts for frontal head restraints, meaning
nobody will have to drill holes for their anchors.
It also now requires low-velocity impact safety,
meaning helmets can’t be too rigid in a low-speed
crash. Lastly, Snell SA2015-certified helmets must
have passed low lateral impact tests, which focus
on the key area around the ear and temple.

This article is from an old issue of Grassroots Motorsports. Get all the latest how-tos and stories for just $20 a year. Subscribe now.

I purchased a new helmet this winter. A Bell brand with a extra large eye port since I wear glasses.

Of course I always take them off when ever I put on or take off my helmet. That part is a bit of a pain but of well I don't like contacts and I have heard both good and bad things about Lasik eye surgery and despite the fact that both of my sisters had it over 10 years ago without issues.

I choose Bell because that's the brand that the last two helmets I bought were, I like the fit, the style, and the fact that the company has a plant in Rantoul, Illinois.

I wear glasses and I learned a trick years ago (I think it may have come from Bobby Rahal, who favored big-lens aviator glasses) where I keep my glasses on as I don my helmet -- my problem was getting my glasses' bows between my ears and skull with the helmet on. Most people put their helmet on straight down from the top. I put the opening over my face, then rotate the helmet on. Works every time! :-) My last helmet (my third Simpson Bandit) I realized the chinpiece was deeper and at first the rotation didn't work ... until I opened my mouth and would "bite" the helmet -- which let it go just that little bit deeper so the rotation still worked.

That part is a bit of a pain but of well I don't like contacts and I have heard both good and bad things about Lasik eye surgery and despite the fact that both of my sisters had it over 10 years ago without issues.

It's funny... "Autocross is safer than driving on the freeway"
Then I hear "Buy a GOOD helmet - your brain is worth it!"
But the people advising me to spend a lot on a good helmet rarely wear one while driving to work on the freeway - which is more dangerous than Autocross - which requires SNELL (not just DOT) rated helmets.